Company of Heroes 2 Tips & Tricks: Getting Started

Company of Heroes 2 is right around the corner and the game, like other real-time strategy games before it, requires quite a bit of micromanagement. All the same, the game requires its players to have a good handle over their macromanagement skills as it's not all about how fast you click your units.

To that end, we've prepared a few useful tips on getting started with the multiplayer portion of the game. You may not necessarily win your first few battles, but don't be disheartened. Like all games, it takes a whole lot of trial and error and you'll need to experience the pains of understanding the game from the ground up before you're well on your way to defeating your opponents.

Without further ado, here are some tips to get you started:

1) The best way to learn from your mistakes is to record your replays and see what your opponent is doing. Whether you win or lose the battle, it's a good idea to keep track of what players' strategies are—including your own. Analyze what you did wrong, and what you can do right the next time you play. The key is not to mimic what your opponent did, but why he made those choices.

2) Tune in to casts from popular streamers, and use strategies that are used to great effect by these players, all of whom undoubtedly have way more experience than you do. Don't mimic what they do, but try to understand why they employ these strategies. Watch their build orders, their responses to attacks, and pay attention to their unit choices.

3) Avoid floating resources and idle units, as you're leaving them to waste. Make sure your units are always busy doing something to make the most out of your army. Harass and capture territory whenever possible, and don't focus entirely on engagements. Don't get into fights you can't win, and try your best to conserve your units for battles you know you CAN win.

4) Understand unit counters. Study every unit available to your command and learn how each of them works in contrast to each other, and how they affect enemy units. This will take time to digest, so don't fret—just play many games and you'll learn what each of them does naturally. Once again, you can watch replays to make this a whole lot easier.

5) Don't be afraid to try out different factions and their playstyles.